Time-controlled mechanism for operating electric switches



T. W. SOUTH.

TIME CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR OPERATING ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 6,19I7.

1,350,389. Patented Aug. 2 1, 1920.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

i I 1 I I i I 0 \s G INVENTOR. WITNESSES:

d. a. B aa I Q F-M Ills ATTORNEY.

T. W. SOUTH.

TIME CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR OPERATING ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 6. I917.

0 2 9 Z 11 U A n 2 I S w m A w M 2 m a a 2 P a 2 1 a A H W J W a m :1 2 M W 9 8 3 O 0 5 3 1 INVENTOR. I W

1113, ATT0R-NEY.

W I TNESSES: 4 41am.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS WIHI'BED SOUTH, OF DE KALB, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF BOY A, 'GILBEBTSON, OF DE KALB, ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

Application filed larch 6, 1917. Serial No. 152,614.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, THOMAS W. SOUTH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of De Kalb, county of Dekalb, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Controlled Mechanism for Operating Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in time controlled mechanism for operating or controlling electric switches, and has for its object the production of a mechanism of this character, which will be of durable and economical construction, positive in operation, one which will permit of ready adjustment to vary the times or periods oi throwing in or out of the switch controlled thereby, and one which will be highly efiicient in use.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a switchcontrolled mechanism, embodying the invention,

Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof,

Fig. 3, a front elevation of one of the gears and an associated perforated disk included in the construction,

Fig. 4, a central section through the construction shown in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5, a detail side elevation of another part of the mechanism,

Fig. 6, a section through the construction shown in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 a partially sectional side elevation of the switch shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The preferred form of construction as illustrated in the drawings, comprises a clock work 1 of any ordinary or preferred design, the hour hand arbor of said clock work being shown at 2.

Arra ed above the clock work is a conventiona form of a rotary electric switch 3, conductor wires of the circuit in which said switch is interposed being shown at 3'. Said switch is mounted upon a bracket 4;

which, in turn, is secured to a bracket 5 rigidly fastened to the supporting frame work of the clock work 1. The bracket 4 is posltioned at the rearward side of the switch, and in order to support the front end of the switch, a supplemental supporting arm or bracket 4 is provided in which the outer end of the rotary stem 7 of the switch is rotatably mounted, as clearly shown in .a screw 10 threaded in the outer end of member 8 and which is adapted to engage with the end of stem 7, serving as a means of positively locking said member 8 in position. Cooperating with the ratchet 9 is a pawl 11 carried by an oscillatory arm 12, one end of which pivotally engages-with the end piece 8. A leaf spring 13 cooperates with the pawl 11 for normally pressing the same into operative relation with ratchet 9. The free end of arm 12 is operatively connected by means of a link 1 1 with the outer end of an arm 15 pivotally engaging with the reduced outer end of a tubular post 16 secured by means of a screw 17 to the bracket 5. The outer end of arm 12 is formed with a plurality of spaced openings 18 in order to allow for adjustment in the connection of the link 14 therewith, so as to secure proper timing in the operation of the switch, as will be readily understood.

Also pivotally mounted upon the reduced outer end of the post 16 is an arm or trigger 19 which, together with the arm 15, is locked in position by screw 17. The arm 19 is formed with a stop lug 20 adapted to engage a ainst the under side of arm 15 to limit plvotal movement of the arm 19 in a clockwise direction. A helical tension spring 21 cooperates with the arm 19 to normally hold the same in a position with the lug 20 thereof, engaging against arm 15. With this arrangement it will be seen that the arm 19 is adapted to yield in a counter clockwise direction but, when moved in the opposite direction, the so will impart oscillatory movement to the arm 15, thelatter, in turn,

through the link 14 and arm 12, edecting operative movement of the pawl 11 which, through engagement with the ratchet 9, will edect operation of the electric switch.

This operative movement of the arm 19 is efi'ected through the medium of a gear 22 which is loosely mounted upon a tubular post 23 secured by means of a screw 23 to supporting bracket 5. Mounted upon the hub of the gear 22 for free rotary movement thereon is a disk 24 adapted to be locked in positions of rotary adjustment, relative to said gear, by means of a screw 25 threaded in said disk and which is adapted to engage at its inner end against the hub of said gear. Carried at the front side of disk 24 is a plurality of spaced studs 26 which are adapted to engage at their inner ends with any of a plurality of spaced perforations 27 formed in disk 24, and arranged in annular formation close to the periphery of said 'disk.' The studs 26 are adapted to be locked in engagement with sockets 27 by means of screws 28, there being threaded openings formed in the periphery of said disk for engagement of said screws. The studs 26, as will be seen, are arranged in the path of arm 19 so that upon rotation of disk 24, said studs will successively engage with said arm and thereby eii'ect operative movement of the same which, in turn, will cause operation of the switch 3. By providing a plurality of sockets 27, provision is made for adjustment of the studs 26 in order to ed'ect operation of the switch at any time or interval desired. The arrangement is such that successive operations of the switch caused by intermittently rotating the switch stem, eiilects alternate opening and closing of the switch, so that in the operation of the mechanism, one of the studs 26 will ed'ect opening of the switch and jthe other closing of the same. The arrangement is such that each actuation of the arm 19 by one of the studs 26 causes the ratchet to be stepped up one tooth, the awl 11, after each operation, dropping back behind the next rearward tooth of the ratchet. Through rotary adjustment of the disk 24: which is permitted upon loosening of screw 25, the period or time of .operation of the switch may, as will be seen, also be controlled, and through the loose pivoting of the pawl 19 in one direction the disk may be rotatably adjusted in a clockwise direction without fear ofthe studs 26 efiecting any operative movement of said pawl 19.

To alleviate friction in the contact of the studs 26 with the pawl 19, said studs are preferably provided with rollers 26" which conintone pact with the arm 19, as clearly seen in ip. 2.

The switch operating mechanism thus described is operatively connected with the clock work 1 through the medium ofa train of gears 29, 30 and 31 which connect the gear 22 with the arbor 2 of the clock work,

as clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

With a mechanism as described it will be i seen that the opening and closing of an 'le I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do notwish to be limited to the precise details of con-- struction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims. 7

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mechanism for controlling a rotary electric switch comprising a clock work; an oscillatory arm adapted, when actuated,'to operate said switch; means for actuating said arm, said means comprising a rotatable shaft, 2. disk mounted on said shaft, so as to be adjustable thereon around its axis; means for securing said disk in its positions of adjustment on said shaft; a plurality of engaging elements on said disk adapted, upon rotation of the latter, to en-.

gage with and actuate said arm; and an operative connection between said clock work and said disk, substantially as described.

2. mechanism for controlling a rotary electric switch comprising a clock work; an oscillatory arm; a ratchet on the stem of said switch; a pawl carried by said arm for coiiperation with'said ratchet and adapted, upon oscillation of said arm, to sheet intermittent rotary movement of said switch stem; means of oscillating said arm comprising a second oscillatory arm; a link connectin said arms; a third oscillatory arm operatively connected with said second arm;

1 rotary means for operating said third arm; and an operative connection between said last mentioned means and said clock work, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a rotary electric switch having a threaded stem, of a sleeve In testimony whereof I have signed my applied to sald stem; a screw threaded into name tothis specification in the presence of 10 said sleeve and engaging against said stem two subscribing witnesses.

for locking said sleeve and stem together; a

ratchet on said sleeve; a clock work; and an THOMAS WINFRED SOUTH. operative connection between said clock Witnesses work and said ratchet, substantially as de- GAIL l). NEILL,

scribed. W. H. KOHLER. 

